Bowman Community Church
2025-10-26
  • O Give Thanks
  • The Solid Rock
  • Amazing Love (You Are My King)
  • Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus
  • Be Thou My Vision

      • Matthew 21:23–32ESV

  • Intro

    For the last few months, I have been absorbed with choral music. Evening Service for September was spent practicing singing while reading music, and without musical accompaniment. Last Sunday evening we sang a song totally a cappella, and it was tremendous.
    The amazing and unique thing about choral music is how emotionally dense it is. It’s just human voices singing—and the voice is the hardest instrument to play in front of other people. So, it’s intimate in a special way.
    I have a playlist on Spotify where I’ve gathered together all of what I feel are the best examples of Christian choral singing. On that playlist, there is Handel’s great Hallelujah Chorus, a huge, thundering version of A Mighty Fortress, and, in my opinion, the best version of To God Be the Glory ever recorded.
    This is the kind of musical experience that makes you wonder about what heaven will sound like. These are the kinds of things you listen to and think, “Well, I’m ready to die fulfilled now.”
    And it’s no coincidence music pairs so well with death. It can express things words alone cannot. One of the songs on my playlist is the song that was played at Princess Diana’s funeral in the 90s. That choral performance is still talked about today.
    One of the things about Charlie Kirk’s memorial that was commented on the most was the music—the singing. This year has been a hard year for the church. The death of John MacArthur, Charlie Kirk, and then Voddie Bauchum passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago.
    There’s another track on my Spotify playlist that stunned me when I first listened to it. It had a Latin title, pronounced “Nunc Dimittis”. The choir is singing the song of man named Simeon from Luke 2.
    29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace…”
    These words were spoken by a man whose life was about to end. The 2nd chapter of Luke gives the account of this, it’s our text for today.

    Text

    Luke 2:22–35 ESV
    22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

    Prayer

    Father, we are seated before you and ask that you would speak, and that we would hear you. Help us see Jesus, and to never fear death for he lives forevermore. In his powerful name, Amen.

    Sermon

    I want to talk about death today. Death and singing. I know they don’t really go together, but those are the two words for this sermon.
    We live in a time when we are more insulated to the reality of death than ever before. Bryan Johnson, a guy worth upwards of $400 million, has made it his life’s mission to defeat aging and death.
    Funerals have been replaced with “celebrations of life.” Caskets are closed, bodies are cremated, cheery stories are told and potlucks follow so-called “celebrations of life.” So much more could be said on this, but the point remains: death is a distant reality to the modern American.
    That is, until it isn’t; until it explodes in people’s lives and leaves a wreckage it seems there are no tools to clean up. There are no words to describe such a thing.
    But singing does. I know it’s a weird pair—death and singing—but stay with me.
    We’re going to look at this text and think about these two as it relates to the three named humans: Simeon, Mary, and Jesus. My prayer is that the Lord will sober you, comfort you, and encourage you.
    So, first, Simeon.

    Simeon

    Luke 2:25–26 ESV
    25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
    Simeon was a man whose ultimate peace was found in seeing Jesus.
    Though he was righteous and devout, and was filled with the Spirit, and received revelation from the Spirit, he didn't find his peace until he saw what the Lord had in store for him.
    Nothing makes sense in life until we come to know Jesus.
    Colossians 2:2–3 ESV
    2 … God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
    There is no hope in death until we are united with Jesus.
    John 11:25–26 ESV
    25 Jesus said … “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
    Simeon held the Newborn King before dying; King Jesus has been holding Simeon ever since.
    Hebrews 7:25 ESV
    25 … he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
    No one will have true peace with death until the same has happened to them.
    Matthew 11:28 ESV
    28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    Jesus gave Simeon this rest, and he gives it to all who believe in him. To all who hear the message and conclude, “I am lost! I am weary! Lord, save me!”
    Christian, you have seen this same salvation.
    If God were to bring your life to a close today, who is it that stands ready to receive you into his presence? The Lord Jesus.
    Who has taken away your sin and made you clean in God’s sight, perfect and blameless, ready to come before him with joy? The Lord Jesus.
    Interestingly, Simeon’s name means “God has heard.” When you cry out to Jesus, he hears you. On the day of your salvation, God heard your cry. And every day afterward, his ear is inclined to you.
    Psalm 116:1–2 ESV
    1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
    Simeon died, but God heard his words, and preserved them for us. In your death, sing the same song:
    Luke 2:29–30 ESV
    29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation

    Mary

    Simeon explained to Mary that this boy will change the world.
    He recognized this baby as Messiah and said he would save not only the Israelites but Gentiles as well.
    This is hugely important because it’s our hope, as Gentiles.
    And this fulfills multiple Old Testament prophecies about Gentiles returning to the Lord.
    But he then adds that Jesus would bring about the fall and rise of many.
    Jesus himself said, Luke 11:23 “23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
    There are ultimately only two types of people: those who are gathered or those who scatter. Sheep and goats. Saved and unsaved.
    Simeon says that Jesus is a “sign that will be opposed.” This is a message the world absolutely hates.
    Finally, Mary hears a “sword will pierce her own soul.” This was a preview of the Cross.
    32 years later, Mary’s heart would die at the foot of our Lord’s cross.
    Her soul would be pierced, for nothing is more precious to a mother than her child.
    And there he was: beaten, flayed, and suffocating. For her, it was a kind of death.
    Truly beholding the death of our Lord should produce something similar in us. A holy grief at the cost of our salvation.
    A song puts it this way:
    “Thus might I hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears; dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears.”
    Another says,
    “Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, that we to judge thee have in hate pretended? By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted!”
    “Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee? Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee! 'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee; I crucified thee.”
    If our Christian walk has grown calloused and weak, we need to join Mary at the bottom of that cross.
    “See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
    “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
    Shortly after Mary learned that she would bear the Son of God, she sang her own song:
    Luke 1:46–47 ESV
    46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    Luke 1:49 ESV
    49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
    Simeon teaches us how to die well in the end, but Mary teaches us how to die to self. And don’t we need both?
    How prepared do you want to be when you are on your deathbed? How much will you have to sort through if it came tomorrow?
    Nothing squares away our priorities like looking to Simeon and desiring that peace. How can I wait on the Lord as Simeon did, so I’m ready to depart in peace when my day comes?
    Nothing sobers our priorities like considering what Mary actually saw—the Son of God nailed to his cross. If Jesus loved me like that, how could I not love him and my neighbor with my life?

    Jesus

    If Simeon teaches us how to die in peace and Mary teaches us how to die to self, then Jesus shows us how death itself dies.
    And it’s to Jesus that we go to end our time.
    We should possess a holy indignation for and anger at death.
    Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus not only because of the death of his friend, but with indignation at the disgusting evil that had corrupted his creation; the total reversal of God's design. And he was staring down the barrel of that enemy, knowing his death was imminent.
    Unless the Lord returns, we must all pass through the same waters.
    Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection were all days appointed by God. It is likewise appointed for us that we will die one day and face judgment.
    Hebrews 9:26–28 ESV
    26 … he has appeared once for all … to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 … it is appointed for man to die once, … after that comes judgment…
    Everyone—Christian or not—will give an account to God.
    [—]
    What shall we say to this holy God, given how much we’ve disobeyed him?
    Romans 4:24–25 NKJV
    24 … [I] believe in Him who raised up Jesus [my] Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of [my] offenses, and was raised [for my] justification.
    Jesus was delivered up and died for your offenses. And, he was raised for your justification!
    There is not enough space in the universe to contain all the praise that this deserves!
    A choir could sing the most beautiful songs for a million years, and our hearts would still yearn to sing another!
    Almost sounds like that’s what heaven is all about, isn’t it?
    Filling heaven with singing about how death died in the death of Jesus Christ.
    That’s how death and singing go together.
    So get ready to die, beloved of God. Live with the end in view.
    Look to Simeon, who died in peace because he trusted in God’s salvation. Do the same.
    Look to Mary, who magnified the Lord, even when it cut her soul in two.
    Look to Jesus, who died for your offenses, was raised for your justification, and waits for you now in paradise.
    On the night before Jesus went to die, both Matthew and Mark mention that they sang a hymn after the Last Supper. This was before they left the upper room and went to the Garden of Gethsemane.
    It’s thought that, given the feast they were ending was Passover, they were likely singing a Psalm between 113-118. We don’t know what it is, but we’ll close in prayer with what I think it might have been—what may have been the song of Jesus before his death.

    Prayer

    Psalm 116 ESV
    1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.” 12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

    Sing

    I love the Lord; he bowed his ear And chased my griefs away; Oh, let my heart no more despair While I have breath to pray.
    What shall I render to my God For all his kindness shown? Your cup of life I’ll gladly take; My songs address your throne.
    How happy all thy servants are! How great thy grace to me! My life, which thou hast made thy care, Lord, I devote to thee.

      • Psalm 25ESV

      • Isaiah 43:25ESV

      • Luke 7:47ESV

      • Psalm 119:120ESV

      • Jeremiah 5:22ESV

      • Malachi 2:5ESV

  • The Steadfast Love
Bowman Community Church
mclugg@gmail.com
5303476130
http://www.bowmanchurch.org
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